A Question of Honour
by DemeterFluff
Summary: Tension grows between Demeter and Munkustrap. Can Mistoffelees and Victoria save their relationship? Demeter/Munkustrap, Bombalurina/Rum Tum Tugger, Mistoffelees/Victoria, Alonzo/Cassandra. Finally finished!
1. Chapter One

A Question of Honour Chapter One

A Question of Honour  
Chapter One

The dense London fog permeated the Junkyard's stillness, filling every niche and crevice. Demeter shivered suddenly, as if startled by its presence. She breathed deeply, inhaling the thick scents on the moist cloud of fog. Morning was still many long hours off. She alone was awake.

The moon was sinking low on the western horizon; so low in fact that Demi could barely see her round silvery form glowing above the city. Even the bustling city of London was asleep at this hour of the night.

Demi sighed, stirring the fog about her into swirls of pale lavender gray. There was something serenely peaceful about the fog; although Demi couldn't quite place what was so calming and soothing about it. Perhaps it was only that she was alone. Alone and surprisingly happy for once.

She closed her eyes, and felt the fog close in around her, seeming to consume her being, indeed, even her soul. She meditated for a few minutes, and lay back down to rest, although her attempts to sleep were useless. She was listless, and it was exhausting her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept for any amount of time longer than perhaps a few minutes while basking in the rich sunlight of the day.

Rising again, she began to pace around the alleyway amongst the piles of human junk. The rich blackness of the sky above was mixed with the milky lavender colour of the fog, becoming a tranquil violet. She stared above, but saw no stars. The moon, too, was alone. Shining brightly from the horizon, although much of her light was blocked by the city.

Everything was so peaceful, and yet her soul could not rest. There had been far too much turmoil in her life for her to ever be at peace, even though she was still very young.

Demeter's mother had died when she was quite young, protecting her kittens, Bombalurina and Demeter, from Macavity, and Demi had thus always blamed herself for her mother's demise. Neither Demi nor Bomba had ever met their father, much less even known his name. He had left their mother soon after getting her pregnant.

When she was just under a year old, Demeter was raped by Macavity, leaving her skittish and afraid of almost everyone around her. Only a few of the Jellicles had managed to gain her trust. One of them was Munkustrap.

Demi knew he wanted her to be his mate, but she naturally assumed it was only out of pity for her, and that he wanted to protect her from further harm. She knew that she wasn't good enough for him, and that he deserved someone that didn't have such a past.

One thing that Demeter didn't know was that Macavity still wanted her as his mate. He was brooding in his dark catacombs as Demi paced the darkened Junkyard. He was formulating a plan to either win her fairly or take her by force. No matter what, he had made up his mind to have her. Since he had first seen her and had... raped her... Macavity had not truly been able to get his mind off of the golden queen called Demeter. Her startling green eyes had pierced his soul, and he had to have her.

Only one thing stood in his way: his brother Munkustrap. Even Macavity knew that Munku wanted Demeter to be his mate. But Macavity knew that Demeter was unsure. He had enough spies to know almost everything about their relationship. If he could drive a wedge between them, then perhaps he could have Demeter as his own.

But he had no way to drive a wedge between them. Munku would not allow that to happen. He would have to find some other way to get her. If he could fight Munku for her and win, then he would have her fairly... yes, that would be perfect. There was no way Munku could defeat him.

He snatched a piece of parchment from a shelf, and began to write a challenge to send to his brother. The prize for the winner? Demeter, of course. He had the challenge dispatched the minute he finished writing it.

Munku read the note with disdain the next day. He couldn't believe Macavity still wanted Demeter. Perhaps, he was obsessed with her. Before Munku could decide, he wanted to ask Demeter about Macavity's challenge.

Carrying the parchment with him, he began to look for Demi. He found her pacing around down a corridor of the Junkyard. She looked as if she hadn't slept at all. He approached her, although she didn't even notice him.

"Demi?" he said, startling her enough to make her jump. She whirled around, and was relieved that it was only Munku.

"Yes?" she asked in reply. Her eyes met his, and she saw that he was going to ask her something important. "What is it you want to ask me?"

Munku smiled. It was always odd talking to Demeter when she decided to try and see what he wanted before he said it. "Here," he answered, handing her the rolled up parchment to let her read what it contained.

Hesitantly, Demi took the parchment. She read it slowly, allowing the full meaning of it to sink in. "He still wants me?! I can't believe that!" she cried, almost in alarm. "You won't let him win, will you?" her eyes sparkled with geniune distress and above all, fear, and Munku laced his arms around her.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I wouldn't even agree to his challenge without consulting you first, since this also concerns you." Demi dropped the parchment and let it flutter to the ground. She shuddered as memories of what happened flooded back.

"No..." she murmured, "No... this can't be... " Tears began to form in her emerald eyes, and her entire body stiffened. "Not again..."

"I won't let him hurt you again," Munku promised, embracing her. "I love you Demi, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep him as far away from you as possible." Demi silently thanked him, and the tears poured from her eyes as she realized that perhaps she had been wrong. Munku didn't pity her; he loved her.

"You love me?" she asked quietly, as if it was wrong of him to love her. Being loved was something unfamiliar; almost frightening to her.

"Yes, I love you, Demi, and it's not wrong for you to love me back," he assured her. He caressed her cheek with his paw, then leaned down and kissed her.

She looked into his deep blue eyes, and chanted:

I can't tell what's wrong or right,  
If black is white or day is night  
I know when two men collide  
It's a Question of Honour

"Fight Macavity," she told him. "I know you will win. You'll win because you truly love me. Macavity does not know love. He knows only lust and his desires, and those can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Be careful, my love."

Munku nodded, and picked up the parchment from the ground where it had fallen. "He will not harm you again," he vowed, before leaving to send out his agreement to the battle.

Macavity smiled wickedly. His chance would finally come. He folded up his brother's reply to his challenge, and laid it on the shelf. The battle would take place the next day at dusk. No one was to be there, except Munkustrap, himself and Demeter. Not that he would necessarily fight fairly...

He decided to have Growltiger come with him. If he had to, Macavity would have Growltiger kidnap Demeter while Munkustrap was busy fighting him. It would work out in his favour no matter what happened. It was the perfect plan.

"Demi, are you sure you want to do that?" asked Bombalurina, looking at her sister quizzically. "What if Macavity wins?"

"I don't think that he will. Munku is too determined to win. He wouldn't let Macavity win. He promised me he would never let him harm me again..." Demi protested.

Bomba thought for a minute. "Demi, you're beginning to depend on others too much. That's how Macavity..." she began, although she knew that saying it would hurt Demi's feelings.

"I love him, Bomba." Bombalurina was incredulous. How could her sister change her mind so suddenly? Just the previous day she'd been upset because Munku liked her in the first place, and now she loved him? It seemed that things were moving too fast between them. Or perhaps Demi had finally realized that Munku's love was genuine.

Whatever the cause for her sister's change of heart, Bomba was glad her sister would finally have someone who would protect her from her past. Maybe Demi would stop being so secretive and depressed all the time.

"I finally realized that he loves me, that he doesn't want to pity me becaue of what happened to me before. He loves me for who I am, not what happened to me long ago. It's something I've never experienced, and I want to," Demi told her sister.

"I guess it's your decision, and if it's what you want, I'll accept it, " Bomba replied. Bomba began to wonder if she herself would ever find true love as Demi had. She sighed, somewhat forlornly.

"Bomba, what's wrong?" asked Demi. "You're sad about something." Bomba winced, silently cursing Demi's ability to tell what people were thinking.

"True love is something I've never experience either, Demi," she admitted, not wanting to say anything else about her feelings.

"I think when you open your eyes and see what's in front of you, you'll realize that true love has been there all the time," Demi told her mysteriously, with a giggle. Demi departed from her sister, and laid down on the old car.

The warm sunlight gleamed off her golden fur. She began to doze a bit, but found herself in the midst of a premonition. During the battle between Munku and Macavity... someone grabbing her... she couldn't see who... someone on Macavity's side... and the vision was over.

Demi was startled. She would have to be careful while she watched the battle. Macavity would be the type to doublecross them like that.

"Demi, what's wrong?" she heard Munku ask. She turned to face him, not wanting to admit that she'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard him come up.

"I think we should have someone else come with and watch from somewhere hidden," she said. Munku looked confused, so she continued, " I had a premonition, a vision, and I saw the battle tonight. Macavity had one of his followers come with to kidnap me while you were preoccupied fighting him..."

"Your premonition could be wrong, but I think we should prepare for that anyway. I've been wondering myself if he wouldn't pull some trick like that," Munku admitted. "I'll ask Alonzo if he would be willing to do it."

Demi nodded her agreement, and felt comforted. Munku was wonderful to her, and she was only beginning to realize how much it must have hurt him when she ignored him and kept him away from her. It saddened her to think of how cruel she must have been.

She found herself looking into his eyes. "How can you still love me?" she asked. "I was so cruel to you. I should've known I meant a lot to you."

"You were afraid, Demi, and I understand, after what happened to you," he replied. "I truly love you, and true love cannot be broken just because of fear and what happened in the past." Demi put her arms around his waist, and she embraced him lovingly.

"Thank you," she whispered, doubting that he'd heard her. "For loving me." She purred softly to him, and he kissed her forehead.

Noticing that the sun was getting low in the sky, Munku said, "I should find Lonzo before it gets too close to the battle, so he can finding a place to hide and watch what goes on in case Macavity has planned some trickery." Demi nodded. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly before he departed.

The alley way where the battle was arranged to take place was dark, although the Jellicles arrived early. Alonzo crawled inside a trashcan to hide and watch. Demeter was nervous, and quite rightly so.

"I wish it wouldn't come to a battle over me," she murmured. Munku pulled her into his embrace.

"If that's what it takes to keep Macavity away from you, then I will fight him," Munku replied.

Macavity appeared from the darkness at the other end of the alleyway. He was alone, to their surprise. "Be careful," Demi whispered before leaving Munku's side to get out of the way of the impending battle.

As she passed, Macavity grabbed her paw, and kissed her after swinging her around into his arms. She shrieked slightly, and pulled away from him, leaving several bloody gashes in his face. She sat down to watch near where Alonzo was hiding.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Demeter was so nervous that she barely even dared to watch Munkustrap and Macavity fight each other. She kept her eyes mostly on the lengthening shadows around her, praying that her dream would not come true. She was truly frightened inside, even though she figured that she was perfectly safe with Lonzo there to protect her, should anything happen to her that wasn't supposed to happen.

*Bast, how can this be happening?* she wondered silently, feeling tears prick behind her eyes. *How can I be loved by two toms who absolutely hate each other? If they hate each other so much, how can they love me?* She glanced up at the vicious fight going on in front of her, and was nearly sickened by the ferocity of the two toms. She turned away from it immediately.

Munku was fighting for her, that she knew, but what Macavity's motives were, she could not be certain. Thus, she prayed to Bastet and Sekhmet, the only goddesses she knew of, to help Munku win the fight. She heard pawsteps behind her, and whirled around, eyes wide.

Stalking down the path was, as in her dream, a cat. It looked decidedly evil, and she shuddered. She glanced around for Alonzo, but didn't see him. The cat was drawing nearer. Demi felt herself holding her breath, hoping for the best. The tom was a tabby cat, who was slightly overweight. There was an evil gleam in his eyes, and his paws were already covered in blood. Demi's eyes widened with fear. She hissed involuntarily. This didn't deter the tom one bit.

The next thing she knew, he had grabbed her roughly around the waist. Demi's resolve at that point was broken. She screamed as loud and as long as she could. The tom quickly dropped her on the ground, and then slapped her across the face. Her face stung, and Demi felt tears prick in her eyes again.

The sounds of the battle had momentarily stopped. Munku tried to run to Demi's aid, but Macavity pounced on him before he could, throwing the silver tom to the ground. Munku had the wind knocked out of him, but when he could think again, growled at Macavity, and kicked him. *Where's Lonzo?!* he wondered. Then it hit him. Macavity had somehow known what they planned to do, and had had his hench-cat take care of Lonzo already. At that point Munku knew it was over. He had lost. 

Still, he fought on, trying to get Macavity out of the way. Macavity was grinning wickedly the whole time, and Munku found himself growling almost the entire time they were fighting. 

"You bastard!" the silver tabby tom cursed the Mystery Cat as they struggled against each other. "You cheater! How can you do this and have a clear conscience?" 

Macavity glared at him. "I wouldn't curse me if I were you," he said coldly. "And I don't have a conscience." Using some sort of evil magick, Macavity caused Munkustrap to black out. 

Demeter was still crying loudly as she was carried to Macavity's warehouse lair. In fact, she was sobbing worse than she had been when she had first realized what was happening. By this time, Macavity and his henchcat were getting quite sick of her loud cries of anguish. "Shut up, already!" Macavity hissed at her. "You'll get used to it here."

"I'll never see my family again," she wailed forlornly. "You raped me when I was a kitten, you bastard! And I hate you! And I'll never, ever like it here!" She laid her head on her paws, and sobbed continually for the next five minutes, until her eyes began to hurt from the tears.

"This is your home now!" roared Macavity angrily. He was ready to hit her. Demi cowered away from him, still sniffling sadly to herself.

A small, fluffy queen peeked in the door. "Maybe, Mac, Sir, you ought'n't be so mean to her," she suggested. "You do want her to love you, don' you?" Macavity's golden eyes glared at the queen. "It's true, I mean, you did hurt her in the past, but mayhap you can make up for it now, sir, if you're kind to her." Macavity paused to think. His servant, by the name of Griddlebone, had a valid point.

"Griddlebone," Macavity barked. "See if you can console her. Tell her she is to meet me for dinner tonight." With that, he brushed past Griddlebone, and left.

Griddlebone cautiously approached Demeter. "There, there," she said, trying her best to be comforting. "That's just how he is. I'm sure you'll get used to it." She then leaned toward the wall next to the hallway, and listened intently. "Good. He's gone." Demi looked up at her quizzically, though more tears were welling in her eyes. "I can help you escape," Griddle grew startlingly serious. 

"Really?" Demi murmured, wiping a tear from her eye. She sniffled a bit, and blinked in anticipation. "How?"

"I know how to get out of here," Griddlebone explained, "Because I once had to do it to escape from my captor, Growltiger, to see my true love, who is now in Siam. I will show you the way out soon, but first, dry your eyes and compose yourself." Griddle smiled at her, comfortingly. 

Demi dried her eyes on the back of her paws. "Please, get me out of here," she pleaded. Griddlebone nodded, and crept over to the door. She silently eased the door open, and crept outside. She motioned for Demi to follow her, but also signalled for her to be absolutely silent. The two queen silently slunk down the warehouse hallways, until they reached the exit. Griddlebone shoved open the door, and looked around for guards.

Seeing none, she led Demi outside. "Once you're outta the warehouse district, you're basically home free," the fluffy queen told her with a smile. "I'll come wit' you the rest of the way, just to make sure you don't get caught by Maccie-dear." Demi nodded, and they continued in silence down the streets.

Demi's heart leapt with joy as she sighted the familiar Junkyard once they rounded a bend. She broke into a run, turning back to yell a thank you to Griddlebone, only to find that the fluffy queen was no where in sight. Demi furrowed her brow, but decided that Griddle must have turned back already. She continued on to the Junkyard, and gleefully crawled under the fence and into her home once more.

"Demi!" cried Bombalurina in both surprise and absolute happiness. She darted away from a startled Rum Tum Tugger and threw her arms around her sister. "I was afraid you might never come back!" Demi closed her eyes contentedly, and smiled at her sister.

"I was quite afraid of that happening, too," she admitted after a moment. "But a fluffy, odd sort of queen helped me escape. Her name was Griddlebone, I think. She was very nice, unlike Macavity." She shuddered at the very thought of his name.

"He didn't try to... do it again, did he?" Bomba asked worriedly. Demi shook her head. "Oh, thank Bastet," Bomba gasped, hugging Demi tighter. "I swear, I'd kill him if he had even tried to hurt you again."

"Where is Munkustrap?" Demi asked, suddenly noticing the absence of the silver tabby. Bomba shrugged.

"I don't know, Demi," Bomba replied. "I haven't seen him. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure he came back after Macavity won the fight. I haven't seen Lonzo either." Demi's eyes widened, and she looked as though she had just been slapped across the face.

"We have to find them!" she cried. "Lonzo was hurt; Munku might still be trying to find him. Munku might be hurt badly as well... Oh, Bast, please, let them be alright!" Bomba nodded gravely.

"But we can't go by ourselves; it would be too dangerous with Macavity on the loose, most likely searching for you. In fact, I think you'd best stay here with someone to guard you. I'll find Misto, and he, Tugger, and I can go after Munku and Lonzo," Bomba proposed. Tugger, who was still watching the sisters reunion, backed away uncertainly.

"Do I have to?" he asked, with more than a hint of annoyance on his voice. Bomba gave him a look to melt glass. Tugger gulped, and then grinned half-heartedly. "Okay, Bomba dear, I'll come with you after my stupid brother." Bomba grinned approvingly at the maned tom.

"Good choice, Tugger," she said with an evil grin in his direction. The two cats then went off to find the magical Mister Mistoffelees. Bomba had figured he would be quite useful in finding the two missing toms.

They found Misto practicing his some of his magic tricks for the young white kitten named Victoria, who was applauding him profusely. She cheered when he made a small pile of junk disappear for her.

Bomba and Tugger approached them, startling Victoria. She gasped as Bomba and Tugger told Misto what had happened, and why they needed his help. The black tom agreed to help them immediately.

"Good luck!" called Victoria as the three felines hurried off to find Lonzo and Munku.


	3. Chapter Three

A Question of Honour  
Chapter Three

Demeter watched them leave, with Victoria. "I hope they come back soon... I'm so worried!" she began to cry. Tears welled in her eyes, and Victoria gave her friend a comforting hug. Demi sobbed for a moment into her shoulder, and then pulled away from the embrace of her friend.

"Misto will make everything alright," she promised, being an optimist, as she almost always tended to be. "You saw how he brought Old Deuteronomy back from Macavity's clutches at the Jellicle Ball. I'm sure he can find a way to bring back and help Munku and Lonzo." Vicky's words were comforting, and a smile appeared on Demi's lips. "That's better," the white queen told her, "Things never work out unless you believe they will."

Demeter forced the smile to stay on her face, because she knew it would make Victoria feel better. She didn't like to seem pessimistic, but the outlook didn't look good, and she had a terrible feeling that it was all her fault. The golden queen figured her eyes must soon betray her inner feelings on the matter, so she rose to her feet and began to pace around, hoping to while the time away until her sister and the rest of the search party returned to the Junkyard.

"The battle was supposed to take place just ahead," Bomba informed Misto and Tugger as they approached the alleyway of the arranged battle between Munku and Macavity. Tugger was grumbling under his breath, and Bomba paused to glare at him once more. Misto was cautiously proceeding, sniffing the air every few steps.

"I can feel the energy from that place," he muttered, and Bomba and Tugger only vaguely heard him. "I can tell that it was more than just a physical battleground." Gradually, even Misto himself hadn't realized it, his coat had taken on the magickal shimmer, indicating that something was afoot.

"What do you mean?" Bomba inquired, coming up alongside the sparkling black tom. Her eyes showed deep concern, because the events which took place involved her sister, whom she was fiercely protective of.

"I mean an emotional battle, probably on your sister's part," Misto replied to Bomba, almost automatically, "And a magickal one, most likely of Macavity's doing."

"You mean, he cheated at the battle?" asked Tugger, his voice not at all incredulous. Mistoffelees nodded solemnly, knowing what that might mean. Bomba was tense, barely allowing herself to breathe as the realization of Misto's words sunk in.

"Which leaves a grim possibility that we might not find Munkustrap or Alonzo alive at all," he said softly, staring at the ground, regretting that he had to tell them that. But he felt the had a duty to, since he could apparently sense things about places that other Jellicles couldn't.

Neither Bombalurina nor Rum Tum Tugger said a word, and the three cats proceeded down the alleyway in utter silence, save for the soft padding of their footsteps against the moistened cement. There was a rustle ahead, and the three cats held their breath, waiting for the cause of the noise to step forward. After a pause, a bloody feline stepped forward and collapsed in front of them.

Demeter and Victoria were still waiting for the return of the search party. Demeter was pacing almost constantly, and Victoria hated to see her so upset about it. Vicky herself was worried, but mostly because Munkustrap was the future leader of the Jellicles, and she knew he had to be found before he died.

"Pacing around waiting for them to get back isn't going to make them come back any faster," Vicky said, after almost an hour had passed. Demi glanced at her, a sorrowful look on her face, and continued her pacing. "And blaming yourself isn't going to help, either."

"I wasn't blaming myself," Demi insisted, although both she and Victoria knew that it was a lie. She forced the look of sorrow from her face, and sat down next to Victoria. "I'm just really worried! What if they aren't okay?!"

"They'll be fine," Vicky assured her, although she wasn't as confident about it as she was certain she sounded. "I know they will. Misto and Bomba won't let them be hurt too badly... Misto has healing powers, so he'll help them if they're too badly off." Demi sniffled a bit, and stared at the ground.

"I hope you're right," she murmured. Vicky tried to keep her outlook good, although she knew that it would cause a lot of pain for Demeter if she told her what could have happened. They sat in silence for some while.

"Why don't you try sleeping, or something?" suggested Victoria. "It might make the time pass a little faster than being awake and waiting for them, being worried." Demi shrugged in response. Apparently, she decided to try taking the white queen's advice, as she laid down and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Why did this have to happen?" Demi asked, addressing no one in particular. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and Victoria watched her drift into a light sleep.

Vicky heard light pawsteps behind her, and turned to see her aunt, Jennyanydots, approaching. "Poor thing," commented the Gumbie Cat, glancing at Demi, who was sleeping already. "This must be terribly hard on her." Vicky looked at her aunt, obviously wondering how Jenny knew and how much she did know about the situation. "I heard all about this from Bomba before the fight happened, and the rest I learned from Tantomile and Coricopat just a moment ago," explained the Gumbie.

"Terrible, isn't it?" commented Victoria, sadly glancing at Demi, who was fitfully awakening again. Jenny and her neice watched the golden queen dozing for a moment.

"Sleep isn't helping," Demi muttered, and rolled over onto her side.

"Oh no!" cried Bomba, and she and Misto rushed to the side of the fallen feline. They discovered almost immediately that it was Munkustrap whom they had found. Bomba carefully lifted the silver tabby's head, and found that he was still breathing, which meant he was probably alright. "No wonder he didn't come back on his own," she muttered, surveying the extent of Munku's injuries.

"We have to find Alonzo," Misto said, only then realizing that Tugger had alread found the black and white tom, and was dragging him out of a trashcan.

"He must have hid in there so Macavity wouldn't know he had come," the maned tom surmised. "I guess whoever came with Macavity to get Demi must have found him anyway," he added, once he had finished pulling Lonzo out of the human garbage can.

"Why don't we get them back to the Junkyard?" Misto suggested. "I can try and heal them there. It would be safer to try it there, anyway, since we don't know if Macavity is still lingering here or not." Bomba nodded, and Tugger did the same. Tugger hoisted Lonzo onto his shoulders.

"Why don't you two carry my stupid brother?" he suggested. Bomba and Misto decided to take his suggestion, and they both grabbed Munkustrap. Neither of them said anything to Tugger about what he had called his brother, because they knew he was just trying to lighten the mood.

It only took them a bit over a half hour to return to the Junkyard with the added weight of Munku and Lonzo. Demeter and Victoria were both overjoyed to see them return with the missing toms, although both were equally dismayed to see the condition they were in. Demi almost started crying, and she ran to Munku's side as soon as she saw Misto and Bomba carrying him.

"Oh, Munku!" she sobbed, hysterically, clinging to the silver tabby as Misto and Bomba laid him down on the ground next to the Old Ford. "I'm so sorry!"

Jennyanydots and Victoria approached slower, surveying both of the toms. Victoria was holding her breath, and ran to Misto. "This is horrible," she whimpered as the black tom hugged her comfortingly.

"I want to try healing them," Misto decided aloud. Victoria backed away, and allowed him to step forward. Demeter looked up at Misto, a terrified, yet sad at the same time, look in her eyes, and he knew she would not leave Munkustrap's side unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Are you sure you can do it?" asked Jennyanydots, cautious about Misto's use of magick, as the motherly queen almost always was. And she had good reason to be worried; Misto's magick had backfired on him before, and they all knew it. He had had problems with his magick tricks, and they were all tense because they hoped nothing would go wrong.

Misto nodded his response vaguely to Jenny, and knelt down, next to Alonzo and Munkustrap. He placed one paw on each of them, and began to concentrate on them being well again. He felt the magick pulse through his body as it flowed into the wounded toms, and he hoped that it would do as he commanded it.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Demeter held her breath, and waited for Mistoffelees' magick to work. A tear fell from her eye, and splashed on Munku's fur, but Demi paid it no mind. She prayed to the everlasting Cat that Misto would be able to save Munku and Lonzo.

Misto furrowed his brow, and continued to concentrate with all his being on the magick and healing the two injured toms. It was hard to keep his mind from wandering to other things, even though he knew that that was what would wreck any magick he tried while his mind was off elsewhere.

It was hard to tell exactly how long it took for Misto's magick to take effect. Gradually, the toms seemed to get stronger, although none present could really tell why it seemed so. Misto concentrated even harder, afraid to let himself slip, and after a moment longer, both toms' eyes flickered open.

"Munku!" cried Demi, overwhelmed. She hugged him tightly before the silver tabby even realized what was going on. "You're alright! I was so afraid I'd lose you at Macavity's paws... and I don't know what I would have done without you..." Munku blinked, somewhat astonished that Demi would care that much about him.

"Um... okay?" he ventured, at a loss for words at the moment. Demi just laughed, and hugged him again, purring as loudly as she could.

"Misto," Victoria startled the black tom, who had been preoccupied watching Demi and Munku, glad that he had been able to make them both happy. Misto jumped, with his fur standing up on end. He turned, and saw Vicky, then blushed.

"Yeah?" he inquired, hoping she hadn't noticed him blushing. He was quite embarassed about his habit of turning crimson when caught off guard.

"You're great," replied the pure white queen with a broad grin. She leaned up to Misto, and planted a kiss on his cheek. Misto knew he was blushing again, but for once, he decided that he didn't really mind.

"She's right, you know," added Lonzo, from where he was getting to his feet nearby. Cassandra had slunk out of the shadows to join her lover, and she was cleaning a deep wound on his shoulder. Cassie was purring loudly enough for everyone else present to hear. It was obvious that she was very relieved that he was alright.

"Thank you, Misto," she told the black tom in her resonant, alto voice. "I'm not sure what I would have done if Lonzo would have died... and he might have if you hadn't saved him." She purred again, and leaned against her mate lovingly. Lonzo placed his arm around her waist, and the two moved off together, without saying another word.

"I don't even want to know what they're going to do," sighed Bombalurina, shaking her head, with a noise of disgust. Demi giggled at her sister's comment, and the red queen glared at her younger sister.

"I don't want to either," laughed Demi. She laced her fingers absently in Munkustrap's fur, and he rose to his feet. Misto smiled at Demi and Munku. Then, he and Vicky slunk off, leaving them alone, with the exception of Bomba.

While Munku and Demi watched Vicky and Misto leave, Bomba too slunk away. She knew that they would probably want to be alone, even though they would never ask her to leave. She wandered around the outskirts of the Junkyard for a while, before deciding on a place to rest and gather her thoughts.

She eventually decided on a place underneath an old desk. The red queen noticed clouds gathering in the sky as she crawled underneath the desk, and curled up to keep herself warm. It was rather nice under the desk, she decided, and laid down to bask in the last rays of the sun, before the clouds dominated the sky above.

Bomba found herself groaning as rain started to sprinkle down, lightly covering the junkyard in moisture. She crawled further under the desk, and found that it stayed dry there. She sighed, and laid her head gently on her paws, which were crossed under her chin. _Let the rain end soon,_ she thought.

Victoria hugged Misto. "Would you have done that for me?" she asked him, her eyes pleading for assurance of his love for her, though he figured he shouldn't have to tell her that he loved her.

"Yeah," Misto replied, hugging his mate back. He paused for a moment, wondering how to phrase his question. "Though I have one question. Why do you always ask me such questions?"

Victoria giggled coyly, and said nothing in reply for a moment. "I didn't know it was going to be that hard for you to answer," she responded at last. "And I just wanted to make sure you still loved me..."

Misto kissed his mate in return. "I will always love you, Vicky. You don't ever need to worry about that." Victoria purred loudly, and Misto held the white queen close. He purred in return, and they sat down together, watching the clouds consume the sky, and the rain begin to fall. Together, they sought the shelter of an old oven.

The two of them fell asleep, safely held in the other's embrace, to while away the time of the rain.

When the rain began to fall around the Junkyard, Demeter and Munkustrap sought shelter under the Old Ford. They sat in silence for some time, Demi clinging lovingly to Munkustrap, and Munku in stoic silence.

Apparently, it bothered Demi that he remained silent. "Why don't you say something?" she asked, after she had had enough of silence. The rain pattered down outside, drenching the exposed parts of the Junkyard. Demi waited for her mate's response.

"What would I say?" asked Munku, his voice quiet, and Demi immediately knew that something was bothering him more than his silence had initially bothered her.

The golden queen furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? Are you upset with me for some reason?" She inched slightly away from him, and stared at the ground.

"No," he responded, and Demi gave a sigh of relief. "I'm mad at myself." Demi looked at him, obviously not understanding, and waiting for him to elaborate. "I couldn't keep Macavity from stealing you away from me," he told her, and she knew that it really upset him.

"You were distracted and worried," Demi replied, attempting to reassure her mate. "And I don't blame you for being both of those. What's important to me is that you fought him for me. I don't care if you lost."

"But I do!" Munku hissed, stalking away. Demi watched him leave, a pained expression crossing her face.

_If you win or you lose it's a Question of Honour  
And the way that you choose is a Question of Honour_

Demi's voice made him stop in his tracks. "What?" he asked, turning back around.

"If you think you've lost, then Macavity has won," Demi told him, tears welling in her eyes. "By leaving me now that I've returned to you, you're giving the victory back to him." Demi turned away from Munku, and began to cry.

The rain drew to a stop, and Bombalurina was quite relieved. She didn't fancy having wait hours for it to stop. She also didn't want to get wet. When the sprinkling finally stopped, she emerged from her hiding place under the desk. She shortly encounted the Tugger.

"Hey, Bombs," he greeted her, grinning in his usual way. Bomba smiled back, but said nothing. "What'cha doing?" he inquired, as the red queen sauntered past.

"Nothing, really," Bomba replied absently. "Just wandering around." She continued to wander, and noticed that Tugger was following her.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because there's nothing else to do, of course," Bomba replied almost mechanically. She didn't even turn around to face him, which disappointed him.

"You could talk to me," Tugger said, coming around in front of her. Bomba giggled, and took a detour around him. She continued at her brisk pace, practically daring Tugger to follow her.

Victoria and Mistoffelees awoke almost instinctively when the rain stopped. The patter of raindrops fell around them slower, as the drowsiness that had taken them left. Victoria left Misto's embrace to stretch for a moment, and then returned.

Misto rose to his feet, helping Vicky back to hers. "What are we doing?" asked the white queen, eying her mate.

"I thought we should see how Munku and Lonzo are doing," Misto replied, and the two of them wandered back toward the centre of the Junkyard. The first thing they noticed as they approached was that Demeter was by herself, and crying. She glanced up, and when she saw them, ran away. Seconds later, Munkustrap appeared again, from under the Old Ford.

"What's wrong with her?" Vicky inquired of the silver tabby. Munku sighed, and looked her in the eye.

"She doesn't understand that I'm mad at myself right now," he replied simply, and didn't elaborate. Vicky looked at him, and cocked her head.

"That shouldn't drive you apart," Vicky told him. "You both love each other, right?" Misto wondered what she was trying to do, but decided to stay out of it. She probably knew what she was doing.

"Of course!" came Munkustrap's instant reply. "Why would I have fought for Demi if I didn't love her?" Vicky grinned.

"If you really loved her, and she had returned to you after you did your best to save her, then you should just forget about the fight and be happy together," she remarked. Misto immediately thought that Vicky should be a counselor. His second thought was that she was very kind to try and help the tribe's protector like that.

Munku said nothing in reply for a long while. Misto found himself wondering what the future leader was thinking. "But I can't help feeling that I'm not good enough for her," he murmured at last.

"If she came back, even though she shouldn't have, then you did all that was necessary to win her love," Vicky reminded him, and Misto wished he could leave, since he had decided that it was going no where. However, since Victoria still had her arms wrapped around him, he thought it would be rude to leave.

"I guess," Munku replied, and the three stood in silence for a while.

Demeter watched Victoria talk to Munkustrap. She wondered what they were talking about, and tried in vain to tell herself that it probably didn't matter very much. She was quite unhappy with Munku at the moment. How could he be so upset with himself when she had gone against everything that was laid out and returned to him? It wasn't fair!


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"So," Vicky continued, barely pausing long enough to take a breath. "What are you going to do?" She grinned innocently at both Munkustrap and Mistoffelees, wondering what the former would say. She blinked, waiting for the silence to end, and Munku's reply to come.

"Nothing," Munku replied, "At least right now. I don't know what to tell her." Victoria's jaw dropped, and then she glared at the silver tom, forcing an exhasperated growl back down her throat.

"Why?" she demanded, looking snottier than Munku had ever seen her look; despite her rich humans, Victoria tended to be a very humble feline. "If she didn't want to be with you, she wouldn't have come back. Since she did, I am willing to bet that you deserve her."

"I guess, when you put it that way," Munku agreed at last, and Vicky wondered why he was being so depressed about the situation. He should be happy that Demeter had returned to them, at the very least. "Do you think I should find her and talk to her?"

"Of course!" Vicky nearly shouted at the silver tom. Misto covered his ears to help shut out the loud noise of his lover's shout, but Victoria apparently didn't notice his action. "What else would you do? Ignore her?!"

"But what would I tell her? That I can't win her in a fight fairly, but I deserve her anyway?" asked Munku, quite tempted to stare at the ground. Victoria groaned. Munku was being very difficult. She didn't know what to do with him. Suddenly, she noticed that Misto wasn't paying attention to her any more. In fact, he seemed completely distracted by something that they apparently couldn't sense.

"Something's not right..." muttered the black tom. An ear-shattering scream came from near by. "Definitely not right," he added, and tore away from Victoria in the direction of the scream, which he had a sickening feeling came from Demeter.

Munkustrap quickly caught up to Misto, but Victoria was lagging behind. The two toms quickly found Demeter, who was trying her best to fight off Macavity. The golden queen screamed again, as Macavity managed to grab her, and sling her over his shoulder.

"Let her go," demanded Munku, obviously enraged. If he had to fight again, this time he wouldn't lose, he wouldn't let Demeter be taken away by the monster called Macavity. He made up his mind; he wouldn't let Macavity win her, even if he had to die trying to protect her from his brother. When Macavity made no move to obey, Munku repeated, "I said, let her go." Mistoffelees and Victoria backed away from the silver tom, afraid of what he might do, even though they were on his side.

Macavity smirked. "And you are telling me to? You can't beat me, even if you tried. There's no way you can tell me what to do," laughed the Mystery Cat. He threw Demeter onto the ground, where she lay sobbing for a moment before running to hide behind Misto and Munku. "But if you want to, I'll fight you again, in your territory. Maybe that'll even the odds a little, eh, Munkustrap?"

Munku growled, trying very hard to keep his anger in check. Macavity was very good at enticement. Both brothers instinctively took on a fighting pose, and within seconds they were fighting each other more viciously than when a lion fights a hyena.

"Can't you help Munku?" Vicky asked Misto. "Just get Macavity out of here!" The white queen was hugging Demeter, who was crying, and refused to watch the fight. "It's okay, Demi, Munku will win," she assured the trembling golden queen. "Macavity can't win here."

"Vicky, I don't think Munku wants me to help him," replied Misto somewhat absently. He was watching the fight, ready to come to Munku's aid should he really need it.

Tugger frowned, but darted after Bombalurina anyway. "Why don' t you just talk to me?" Although the Tugger couldn't see it, Bombalurina was grinning from ear to ear. Tugger was getting worried. He'd wanted to ask her something very important, but didn't know how to do it when she was acting like she was.

"Maybe I don't want to," she said, grinning even broader than before. "Although, maybe you can change my mind, Tugger. Start talking." Tugger groaned to himself. This was turning out to be a lot harder than he had ever thought it could be.

"Um," he began, "Bomba, I really wanted to ask you something... but I don't want to do it right now. Can you meet me somewhere tonight?" He was surprised he had actually gathered the courage for this. By then, Bomba had actually stopped wandering, and had turned around to look at him. She didn't have a clue what he could possibly want to ask her.

"Sure," she agreed, "How about next to the drainpipe?" Tugger nodded his approval of the location, and didn't stick around to allow her to ask him any questions. The red queen was left alone, wondering what the heck he wanted. _It can't be anything too serious, can it?_ she wondered.

Munkustrap slashed his claws at his brother's eyes, but missed, leaving deep gashes on the side of Macavity's face instead. The Hidden Paw growled, and slashed back at Munku, nearly missing entirely in his rage. He ended up leaving a few bleeding wounds on his brother's shoulder, though.

The silver tabby kicked his brother in the side, and slashed his back when Macavity doubled over. Macavity, in turn, scratched deep into Munku's legs with his razor-like claws. Munku howled in pain, and slashed blindly at his brother again.

Every so often, Demeter would glance back at the fighting toms, but then she would start weeping again, and bury her head in the thick, white fur of Victoria's shoulder. Vicky did her best to comfort the forlorn queen, but wasn't entirely sure that she was helping very much.

The fighting continued, with Munku slashing at Macavity, and Macavity hitting back, and both toms struggling to gain the advantage over the other. Both toms were bleeding profusely, and both refused to give up. Macavity, because he wanted to take what his brother had be he could never have, and Munkustrap because he loved Demeter.

Munku wasn't tiring as quickly as Macavity, but he wasn't filled with the same rage. However, he did know that he had to protect Demeter from Macavity, because if he didn't, Macavity would probably kill her for leaving after he took her before.

With a growl of disgust, Macavity seemed to replenish his energy, and struck out against his brother with anger anew. Munku growled as well, and lashed out at Macavity. This time, when he weilded his claws at his brother's eyes, they hit their mark, and Macavity wheeled backwards, howling in pain.

From that blow, Munku gained confidence, and landed a kick squarely on his brother, sending the Hidden Paw sprawling backwards. "Get out of here," hissed Munku, his eyes narrowed. Macavity needed no further urging; Munku had clearly won, and the Mystery Cat wasn't about to stick around. He ran off, vanishing into the shadows, like a wounded dog.

Demeter looked up, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She ran to Munku, and threw her arms around him, purring, and he held her close. Victoria and Mistoffelees both smiled, unable to hold their grins back.

"Maybe they'll be able to be happy now," Vicky sighed contentedly, leaning against Misto. The black tom shifted to accomodate for her weight, however slight it seemed to be.

"I hope so," Misto replied absently. He purred to Vicky. "Think we should leave? They might want to be alone and talk or something."

The white queen responded first by rolling her eyes at her lover. "You know they probably won't talk," she laughed, "But yes, I think they deserve their privacy as much as we do." Without a further exchange of words, the two opposite-coloured cats departed, leaving Munku and Demi alone.

Evening came. Rum Tum Tugger was waiting when Bombalurina arrived at the drain pipe. "Been waiting long?" she inquired dryly. "I hope not." Tugger was visibly upset. He'd hoped that Bomba would come with a warmer attitude toward him, but apparently she hadn't. "Well?" she was getting impatient, "What did you want to ask me, maned one?"

"Bomba," he began, taking a deep breath, "I wanted to ask you.... will you be my mate?"


	6. Epilogue

Chapter Six/ Epilogue

Bombalurina nearly fainted. _Is this really happening?_ she asked herself, as she felt her heart beat against her ribs. Breathing heavily, she finally replied, "Yes!" Bomba threw her arms around Tugger, surprised that he'd finally asked her. Tugger, too, was surprised. He was, however, because he hadn't expect Bomba to say 'yes' to his proposal.

Tugger purred his gratitude to Bomba, and held her tightly. "I'm glad you accepted," he murmured softly, after a moment or two had passed. The red queen just purred, and buried her face in Tugger's mane.

"I was waiting forever for you to ask," Bomba murmured, although her voice was muffled and Tugger couldn't understand a word of what she had said. Not that either of them particularly cared.

Tugger thought he heard footsteps in the shadows, but when he turned in the direction of the sound, he found nothing. As Bomba hadn't appeared to notice anything out of the ordinary, he assumed he had been imagining things.

Ignoring the strange feeling he got from the encounter, he held the red queen close to him, and listened to her purr. Together, Tugger and Bomba laid down to sleep, wrapt in each others' embrace.

Mistoffelees and Victoria returned to the centre of the Junkyard holding hands. Vicky was so happy that everything had turned out alright for Munkustrap and Demeter. She leaned her head against Misto, who was somewhat taken aback (being shy, as he usually was), but ended up purring to the white queen.

They were surprised when they nearly tripped over Bombalurina and Rum Tum Tugger, who were already asleep. More surprising was the fact that they were sleeping together. Victoria began to giggled, and she and Misto skirted around the sleeping felines.

"That was odd," whispered Victoria, fighting back a laugh. Misto nodded.

"They don't have that bad of an idea, you know," he said, taking Vicky in his embrace. She began to purr, and Misto purred back. It didn't take too long before they had both fallen asleep.

Demeter closed her eyes and purred, listening to Munku's heartbeat as he purred back to her. Demeter turned, and buried her face in Munku's thick fur. "Don't ever do that again," she whispered, doubting that he would understand her, as her face was still against him.

Munku didn't reply, but Demeter didn't seem to notice it. She was too happy to care about very much at all. All that mattered was that she and Munku were together.

Fog was gathering around them, since it had just rained. A slight layer of dew gathered on their fur, but neither seemed to mind. However, it stirred memories in Demeter's heart about the evening before Macavity had challenged Munkustrap, leaving her as the prize. Then, she had never dreamed that anything so brutal could come of a simple evening, or the day after.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she couldn't tell if they were tears of sorrow or joy, or perhaps both. She rested her head contentedly on Munkustrap's shoulder, and just stayed there, in his embrace, knowing she was safe at last.

The mist swirled around them, creating more of a magical effect. Demeter opened her eyes slightly, and the tears that hadn't yet spilled from her eyes created wonderful effects on the light that was already reflected through the mist. The golden queen sniffled, and snuggled up against Munku again.

Without really realizing it, both of them fell asleep.


End file.
